A Dramatic Interpretation - Lady Chiltern and Lord Goring.

Between pages 263 and 265 of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, Lady Chiltern is taking advice from Lord Goring, who doesn’t want Lady Chiltern to allow her husband to spoil his political career because of her wishes. In this dialogue, Lord Goring essentially claims that the lives of women are less important intellectual than the lives of men, and that a woman’s job is simply to love her husband, and nothing more. In response to Lord Goring’s advice, Lady Chiltern submissively accepts his ideals and does not question why she should be considered inferior to her husband. By this, one could assume that Lady Chiltern herself believes in this misogyny because she believes that the “ideal” relationship should be this way.

This scene can be performed in a way that ironically brings out the misogyny involved. Lady Chiltern’s character can speak quietly and submissively, while Lord Goring’s speech has a very authoritative tone to it. In the background, we could also have some music that is soft and emotive when Lady Chiltern speaks and slightly louder and grander music as Lord Goring speaks. Lady Chiltern can be slightly hunched, sitting down, and wearing dull colors, while Lord Goring is pacing as he talks, wearing bright colors, and throwing his chest out in a very proud manner. Moreover, we can put up a background painting with a young boy reading a book and, on the other side of the painting, a young girl making food. This painting can be lined with lights, and the lights can flash on and off as these characters converse about how males’ lives are based on intellect and females’ lives should revolve around love. These various actions and props would serve to further elucidate this theme of male dominance to the audience through the use of subtle drama-related techniques.

Beginnings of Paper 2.

In her piece Doubleness and Refrain in Jane Austen’s Persuasion, Weissman suggests that “it is the nature of storytelling to etch patterns and simultaneously to violate them.” (Weissman, 90) Specifically in terms of Austen’s Persuasion, Weissman argues that the use of contrasting words represents Anne’s indecisive nature, and that this ambivalence is simply used to add a fictional, dramatic touch to the story. When applying Weissman’s statement to Yorick in A Sentimental Journey, it may seem as though Sterne’s ambivalent and often contrasting views of sentiments may represent Sterne’s own confused feelings towards the concept of emotion, or that these disparities are simply set up to keep the story entertaining to readers. However, it is more likely that these contrasting views serve to enhance certain underlying themes of the two novels, and that the use of contrast itself is a device to through which the true themes of the novel can be elucidated.

According to Weismann’s reasoning, in Persuasion, Anne’s contrasting thoughts and actions describe her own vacillating feelings, and are described solely to entertain the perception of fictional literature in the novel. However, it is more likely that this seeming paradoxical description is actually conflation of past and present that attempts to produce a sense of pleasurable excess and a desire for more. One piece of evidence for this is in the line “they exchanged again those feelings and promises… but which had been followed by so many, many years of division and estrangement.” (Austen, 160) This line serves as a comparison between past and present, and describes how the difference between these two times creates a sense of pleasure in both Anne and Captain Wentworth. Moreover, the doubling of the word “many” conveys a sense of excess emotion, again standing as a foundation for this idea of excess. Also, in the next sentence, “they returned again to the past…more exquisitely happy, perhaps, in their reunion,” there is again a contrast of past and present; however, this contrast does not represent the ambivalence of the relationship between Anne and Wentworth but instead, serves to strengthen this relationship as a result of having been renewed for a second time. The idea of pleasure is also demonstrated throughout the same passage; the first sentence of the paragraph describes old feelings and promises that Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth had shared in the past, when they were in a loving relationship filled with joy and pleasure. The words “again,” “followed,” “happy,” and “secure” (Austen, 160) also take the reader back to the delightful, pleasurable times that Anne and Captain Wentworth had previously shared. This shows yet another contrast of their old relationship with their newly beginning relationship and represents the heightened amount of pleasure that Anne feels as the relationship is being rekindled. In this way, this idea of pleasure and excess are combined to form the main theme of this passage: the conflation of past and present, and the pleasure that accompanies such an event; the contrasting words actually serve to strengthen this theme, not hinder the development of Anne’s decisiveness or add a fictional touch to the work.

When applying Weissman’s statement to Yorick in A Sentimental Journey, it may seem as though Sterne’s ambivalent and often contrasting views of sentiments may represent an attempt to keep the fictional aspect of the novel going. However, upon closer reading, it is obvious that Sterne’s work is actually a parody upon sentiments, and actually describes the ambivalence of sentiments themselves, strengthened by the use of contrast. This becomes clear at the opening of the novel, where Yorick describes his charitable feelings towards everyone around him and, within a matter of seconds, refuses a monk who begs money from him under the pretext that “no man cares to have his virtues the sport of contingencies.” (Sterne, 40) This statement blatantly expresses the idea that sentiments often contrast each other when thought of and when physically acted upon. Yorick’s divergent and often exaggerated reactions to every situation serve as ample evidence for the fact that emotions themselves are ambivalent and not concrete, and that the contrasting techniques employed in the novel further enhance this underlying theme regarding sentiments. 

Compare and Contrast.

Both Persuasion and A Sentimental Journey are both novels based on intrapersonal relationships between characters, specifically those of a romantic nature, or describing an
”amorous interaction”. However, the vast differences between the two styles (free indirect discourse and first-person narration respectively) employed in the two novels have a large impact on the scenes' presentation to the readers.

In Persuasion, when Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth meet towards the end of the novel and profess their love for each other, the interaction is described in a very ambiguous manner. Especially in the lines, "they exchanged again those feelings and promises... then they returned again to the past, more exquisitely happy in their reunion..." there is a sense of the creation of a conflation of past and present, producing a sense of pleasurable excess (p. 116). This idea of a "happy reunion" has sexual undertones, but the description of the event is not very vivid, and the employment of free indirect discourse leaves much to the reader's imagination.

Meanwhile, in A Sentimental Journey, Yorick has a sexual encounter with a particular Marquesina di F when they run into each other at the opera. Sterne writes from Yorick's perspective: "... so I instantly stepp'd in, and she carried me home with her... the connection which arose out of that transformation, gave me more pleasure that any once I had the honour to make in Italy." (p. 48) This description of Yorick's encounter through the style of first-person narrative clearly illustrates the sexual nature of their encounter. There is no ambiguity about the situation whatsoever.

In this sense, two scenes with similar themes are represented very differently when the two different writing styles are used. In order to understand the events occurring in the scene between Anne and Captain Wentworth, one must read in between the lines and absorb this concept of "pleasurable excess" that is echoed throughout the paragraph. However, Sterne's style of description is far more clear-cut, and the reader understands the situation at once after reading the piece. This represents the difference between free indirect discourse and simple first-person narration; free indirect discourse incorporates multiple viewpoints in order to show a single scene, while first-person narration tells the entire scene from a single person's perspective. In free indirect discourse, the actual content may be harder to understand, but the incorporation of multiple perspectives often leads to a more accurate painting of a picture. However, while first-person narration may not necessary be as accurate, having been conveyed from a single person's perspective leads to a more clear view of the scene, and less ambiguity.

Close Reading Blog!

In her piece, Weissman suggested that the passage discussing Anne’s feelings about being rejoined with Wentworth describes feelings that are both “paradoxical” and “ambivalent,” and that “it is the nature of storytelling to etch patterns and simultaneously to violate them.” (90) In essence, Weissman argues that the use of these contrasting words represents Anne’s indecisive nature, and that this ambivalence is simply used to add a fictional, dramatic touch to the story.

However, it is more likely that this seeming paradoxical description is actually conflation of past and present that attempts to produce a sense of pleasurable excess and a desire for more. The first piece of evidence for this is in the line “… but which had been followed by so many, many years of division and estrangement.” (Austen, 160) This doubling of the word “many” conveys a sense of excess emotion, again standing as a foundation for this idea of excess. Also, in the next sentence, the word “more” is used four times within 3 lines; this concern with the word “more” also represents a desire for even more than what is already present, or excess. (Weissman, 90)

The idea of pleasure is also demonstrated throughout this piece. The first sentence of the passage from Austen describes old feelings and promises that Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth had shared in the past, when they were in a loving relationship filled with joy and pleasure. The words “again,” “followed,” “happy,” and “secure” (Austen, 160) also take the reader back to the delightful, pleasurable times that Anne and Captain Wentworth had previously shared. Moreover, the last line which describes “explanations… which were so poignant and so ceaseless in interest” also describes pleasure, with seeming sexual undertones. Additionally, the use of free indirect discourse in this piece does not give the reader the exact dialogue between Anne and Captain Wentworth; it instead leaves the reader longing for more description of the pleasure that Anne is undergoing after having gone through this release and openness to talk, which also may have slightly sexual undertones. In this way, this idea of pleasure and excess are combined to form the main theme of this passage.

Blog post about Persuasion.

A good example of free indirect discourse in Jane Austen’s Persuasion is in Chapter 1, where the paragraph discusses the lives of Sir Walter in relation to his three children. These lines describe Sir Walter’s relationship and feelings towards each of his three daughters: Elizabeth, Anne, and Mary. In the line, “Be it known then that Sir Walter, like a good father… prided himself on remaining single for his dear daughters’ sake,” the passage seems to come from Sir Walter’s own perspective, because it states Sir Walter’s own personal reasons for remaining single. However, the speaker of the line is indefinite because the sentence could also possibly be referring to how Sir Walter publicly presents himself. It could be that Sir Walter uses his daughters as an excuse to display himself as a sort of martyr to the public, while secretly having other reasons for remaining a single man; this makes it possible that someone might derisively be pointing out this face from a third person’s view of Sir Walter.

Another example of free indirect discourse in this paragraph is in the line, “Elizabeth had succeeded at sixteen, to all that was possible, of her mother’s rights and consequence; and being very handsome, and very like himself [Sir Walter]… her influence had always been great.” In these lines, it is very likely that Sir Walter’s thoughts are being echoed, because the readers are told earlier that Sir Walter is very vain and prides himself in being very good-looking and influential. However, it is equally likely that the narrator, or whoever is thinking these lines, is simply being sarcastic with reference to Sir Walter. Sir Walter may very well be beautiful and magnificent in his own way, but in 17^th century era and even in present-day society, it is not socially acceptable for men to be very conscious of their looks. Sir Walter’s character has often been viewed as very womanly, and this might be a third person’s snide remark on Sir Walter’s high notion of himself.

The line, “His two other children were of very inferior value… but Anne, with an elegance of mind and sweet of character, which must have placed her high with any people of real understanding, was nobody with either father or sister,” also involves ambiguity between Sir Walter and a narrator-type figure. On one hand, Sir Walter’s views about his other two children are described; Elizabeth means a great deal to him, but Anne and Mary are somewhat taken for granted. On the other hand, all of this is said with a mocking tinge. This tone becomes very obvious when, in a single sentence, Anne is praised for her wit and intelligence, but also described as unimportant and inferior, at least with respect to her father and her eldest sister. Here, the concept of free indirect discourse again comes to the forefront, because two completely opposed viewpoints are amply backed up in a single sentence.

Free indirect discourse has both positives and negatives. Among the negatives is the fact that the speaker is never really identified, and as the reader, we are never quite sure of the accuracy of the facts we are reading, especially when we find two completely contradictory facts that stated with much detail. However, the positives include the fact that this confusion builds upon the theme of the piece. Much of the novel Persuasion is based on what people say and think about others, and how those opinions may or may not necessarily be accurate. Just as there is ambiguity in life with regards to people in society, there is ambiguity with regards to the characters in this book. The characters can be interpreted in many different ways, according to the reader, and this allows for a greater scope in terms of analyzing the underlying occurrences of the novel.

Blogging Assignment #3

My thesis is that In Nuns fret not at their Convent's narrow room, Wordsworth describes the theme of confinement as something that is not negative, but as something that can be used in a constructive manner. In my first paragraph, I would use the examples in lines 1-4, where nuns' and hermits' confine themselves in order to find their own inner peace, and students confine themselves in order to build their own knowledge. This would refute my thesis because, even though all of these people are shutting themselves in various rooms and restricting their own movement, they do so in order to achieve something that they find important to their own personal welfare. In my second paragraph, I would describe how in Lines 6-7, bees are free to fly wherever they wish to, but they choose to confine themselves to foxglove bells because they find comfort in the food found there. This is again, a type of confinement, but one that satisfies hunger, a basic need of all creatures. Therefore, this confinement is also constructive.

In the third paragraph, I would describe how in lines 7-8 of the poem, Wordsworth himself claims that, “… the prison unto which we doom ourselves, no prison is.” This would be the main piece of evidence in my poem, because it directly describes that Wordsworth himself describes this imprisonment as something that is
not at all limiting, especially when one chooses it on their own. Wordsworth seems to feel that when we choose our own confinement, it gives us something to do and and provides us a good environment within which to progress and be constructive. I would conclude my piece with this evidence, because I feel
that it is the strongest piece of evidence in this poem that supports my thesis.

English blogging assignment #2

In Nuns fret not at their Convent’s narrow room, the theme of confinement is explored in many different ways. In the first 3 lines of the poem, Wordsworth describes small, restrictive places such as “[the] Convent’s narrow room” (Line 1), the “Hermits’ cells,” (Line 2), and the “students’ citadels” (Line 3) very negatively, as places of physical confinement. In Line 4, the tone changes slightly to describe “maids at the wheel” and “weavers at their looms,” now describing a type of confinement by work and by necessity, but not quite physical restriction. Lines 6 and 7 describe bees that are free to soar however high they please, but end up limiting themselves “by the hour in Foxglove bells” (Line 7), once again confined by work, necessity, and arguably also by the comfort of food.

In contrast to the first half of the poem which describes physical locations of confinement, the second half describes abstract places within which people choose to close themselves. In lines 7-8 of the poem, Wordsworth says, “… the prison unto which we doom ourselves, no prison is,” claiming that those limitations which we place upon ourselves are not true limitations, but simply the decisions by we choose to live our lives. He later describes a sonnet as a physical place, or a “scanty plot of ground” (Line 11) in which one can choose to reside, especially those who “have felt the weight of too much liberty” (Line 13). By this, he means to say that those who lack important responsibilities, or those who lack enough restraint in their lives, can find relief within the limitations of a sonnet. This contrast between the physical, almost forcible confinement in the first half of the poem and the chosen confinement in the second half of the poem demonstrates how the concept of confinement is not necessarily negative, but can lead to many constructive events as well.

First blogging assignment!

Pick one of the sonnets we read for class and write two paragraphs for your first blog post. Write 300 words. In the first paragraph, compare the sonnet form

with the form of a tweet and a novel. What do these different forms allow you to do? Are there different expectations for these forms? In the second paragraph,

show how the author uses the sonnet form to express a problem. You can say how the sonnet form express a problem by analyzing the significance of the rhymes,

rhythm, or final couplet. You could address SOME, NOT NECESSARILY ALL, of the following questions: What relationship do the rhyming words have with each other?

Are they synonyms, antonyms, or in no relation to each other? What is the effect of a couplet? Some of us in class today thought that a couplet produces a sense

 of conclusion, a sense of an end. Does that usual effect apply to the poem you’re analyzing? How? Finally, are there any significant changes in the rhythm?

For example, after a number of iambs, is there a spondee? If so, what might that suggest about the word or words that make a change in the rhythm?

The sonnet form has similarities and differences with the form of a tweet and with that of a novel. When comparing a sonnet and a tweet, a sonnet is found to be far more elaborate than a tweet, and incorporates far more eloquent language. However, sonnets and tweets resemble each other in the aspect that they are both" snapshots" of a larger story. Tweets are generally short sentences or even phrases that describe a part of a person's life; meanwhile, sonnets can be described as snapshots in the sense that they are not written individually, but are rather written in a sequence of sonnets that eventually comes together to form an entire story. As quoted from Mr. Weise, "a tweet is a modern sonnet." A novel differs from a sonnet in the sense that it is the entire story while a sonnet is only part of the story; parallels can be drawn between the chapters in a novel and a single sonnet in a sequence of sonnets. However, a novel is similar to the sonnet is the sense that it is made up of elaborate language and describes events in detail.

In Sonnet 75 by Spenser, the rhyming scheme tends to generally follow a spondee-iamb-iamb-iamb-iamb pattern until line 4, where this pattern changes, as well as the speaker in the poem. This illustrates that a change in rhythm also usually represents another kind of change in the poem, whether it is a change in speaker, a change in the emphasis/importance of the lines, or any other kind of change. The final couplet in this poem, which also shows a change in rhythm, illustrates the solution to the problem addressed in the poem; the main character finds a way to immortalize his love: through the poem itself. These final two lines demonstrate a rhyme-scheme change in emphasis; the change in the rhythm of the poem illustrates the conclusion by finding or acknowledging the solution to immortalizing the love that these two characters share.